New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-27
PEEENTE REDTCIION.

President Cleveland has caused his friends
70 give public assurance that he will have pre-
pared and ready to be submitted to Congress
when it assemblies, a bill TO reduce the revenue.
This he will declare is a duty to which he and
his party are s,lcmnly pledged, which they
have not yet performed, and which cannot be
neglected without peril to the National pros
pcrty. 1t is expected that jealous effort
will be made to devise a measure which all
Democrats in Congress can support and that
the entire influence Of the Administration will
be cxcrted to secure its passage.
The public will regard this effort in spirit
free from partisan prejudice. However grave
the issues between parties no good citizen
of either party wants to have the public pros
pelity sacrificed The bill, if one is offered.
will be Judged upon It's merits. 1t will not be
difficult to determine, from few salent
features, whether it is designed to help foreign
by breaking down home manufactures, or to
reduce the revenue without inliicting such in
jury
\ few tests will suffice. The secretary OF
the Iron and Steel Assoc iation las announced
that disaster is to be apprehcndcd II imports
Of iron and steel continue as large as they
have been during the past year. The value
of such imports, including ole, was sol ,32l-
Ol5 for the last fiscal year; the revenue col
lccted thereon at the rate of the previous year,
IS ucr cent. would be $40, 100000. Tho
| Government does not need that revenue, as the
President Will inform Congress in fact It's
collection threatens the puDlic prosperity by
drawing from channels OF trade money WHEN
cannot be returned through CNp,ndlturcS
authorized. At the same time the imports
! themselves are hultfui to the most important
! industry Of this country. They tale tie bread
! from thousands of American woIlHngncn ana
| dcpIeSs tie wages OF Others. They ltnucr PIE
cariouS the return on many millions OF capital
invested within the past two Yeas in new mines
and roads to them, in costly furnaces and
mills, in land purchases and town develop
mcnts based upon tie growth Of these WornS.
PIo>tIation of these interests would seriously
affect the public welfare.
The President can show that the country IS
now able to produce al the iron ore and all
the iron and stccl that its people are able t.
consume Indeed, the furnaces are able to
turn out a third more iron than has ever been
{, n,umcd in year. and If there IS any manu-
featured form which we do not now produce
the works required for such production would
at once be provided if the imports were
checked. The President can tell ConSicSs
that there is no sense in importing SO, no
tons Of tin plates in a single year because
| Secretary of the Treasury once made the mis-
take of supposing that these were not manu-
features Of iron; that there is no sense in I'M
porting 81 9, $50 tons Of steel ingotS and bars
mainly by fraudulent cyaSionS OF duty which
| Treasury rulings permit; that there Is no sense
in importing lGl go tons Of vine rods for the
benefit of Mr.. llcwitts or any other concern
Duties so raised as to stop these imports would
! helm American industry. and at the same time
| cut off a revenue which the Govern ucnt docs
not need and which cannot be coI'c with
out danger
! vii the President recommend this course,
and a similar course respecting the partly
! fraudulent importations Of ll1OOOOOO
pounds wool and $I9OO,OOO worth OF
woollcn goods in year, on which the duties
last wear must have been about So 100000?
! Or will he recommend that larger imports shall
I be assured by a reduction Of the rates, which
viii probably result in still larger revenue
\ few test question, such As these will disclose
whether the PFC ilcnt proposes to have legs
ation for the benefit Of American or for the
benefit Of foreign industries